Digital Breadcrumbs

Cross-reference all known aliases of Dr. Chen against secure facilities that operated between 2042 and 2043," Maxon commanded, his fingers moving through the holographic data streams. The Oracle fragment sat quietly in its containment field, its soft blue pulse almost matching his heartbeat.

Lilith's processing indicator flickered. "Searching through declassified records first. Eighty-seven potential matches found."

"Filter for facilities with quantum computing capabilities and behavioral research programs."

"Narrowing parameters... twelve matches remain."

Maxon studied the floating list, his enhanced lenses automatically adjusting to the holographic display's brightness. Most were obvious fronts – too visible, too easily traced. But three stood out, their security protocols far more sophisticated than the others.

"Show me facility seven," he said, focusing on the most promising lead.

The holographic display shifted, revealing schematics of a research complex buried deep in the mountains of what used to be Nepal. The facility's official designation was "High-Altitude Atmospheric Research Station," but the power consumption data told a different story.

"Power usage patterns match quantum computing signatures," Lilith noted. "Specifically, the same type of quantum architecture found in the Oracle fragment."

Maxon leaned closer, his lenses zooming in on the facility's deeper levels. "Look at these shielding specifications. They weren't studying the atmosphere, they were hiding something from satellite surveillance."

"Correct. The facility's electromagnetic shielding exceeds standard research requirements by 300%."

"What happened to it?"

"Official records indicate the facility was abandoned after a series of earthquakes in 2043. However..." Lilith paused, her algorithms detecting something unusual. "Satellite thermal imaging from the past decade shows intermittent power signatures. Someone's still using it."

Maxon pulled up the facility's personnel records, searching for any connection to Dr. Chen. Most files were heavily redacted, but one name caught his attention: Dr. Sarah Zhang, Atmospheric Physicist.

"Lilith, analyze Dr. Zhang's credentials."

"The academic history appears artificially constructed. Created approximately thirteen years ago. The quantum signature of the documentation matches known Pacific Collective forgery patterns."

A slight smile crossed Maxon's face. "She didn't just leave breadcrumbs. She left herself an escape route." He began compiling the data, his mind already mapping out the journey to Nepal. "Dr. Zhang's publication history?"

"Three papers on high-altitude particle behavior. Each contains embedded data patterns that, when analyzed using Oracle's encryption protocols, reveal coordinates."

"She knew someone would come looking," Maxon murmured. "She wanted them to find her, but only if they had a piece of Oracle to decrypt her trail."

The fragment pulsed brighter as if responding to his realization. Maxon turned to study it, noting how its quantum signature seemed to align with the coordinates hidden in Dr. Zhang's papers.

"Lilith, prepare for relocation. We need to move before anyone else decodes this trail." He paused, considering the implications. "And run a deep scan on all global transport manifests. If Dr. Chen used this alias once..."

"She likely used others," Lilith finished. "Initiating search patterns now."

As Maxon began gathering his equipment, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was too perfect, too precisely laid out. Dr. Chen had wanted Oracle to remain fractured, yet she'd left a way to follow her. The question was: had she left this trail to help reassemble Oracle – or to warn those who might try?

The answer, he suspected, waited in those mountains. Along with whatever Dr. Chen had been protecting all these years.

One more thing," Maxon said, pulling up a new holographic window. "Show me all seismic data from the facility's shutdown period."

The data materialized before him, a complex web of readings spanning several months. Most showed standard tectonic activity, but there was an anomaly, a pattern too regular to be natural.

"These aren't earthquakes," he muttered. "They're power surges. Someone deliberately overloaded the facility's systems to make it look like natural damage."

"Correct," Lilith confirmed. "The pattern suggests a controlled shutdown disguised as a catastrophic failure. Additional data shows emergency protocols were activated exactly 2.3 seconds before the first 'earthquake' was recorded."

Maxon's fingers danced through the data, pulling up evacuation records. "How many personnel were officially listed as casualties?"

"Seventeen deaths reported. However, cross-referencing with global identification databases shows fifteen of those individuals established new identities within six months of the incident."

"And the other two?"

"Dr. Marcus Chen and Dr. Sarah Zhang."

Maxon leaned back, processing the implications. Marcus Chen – officially dead, but his daughter now commanded Pacific Collective Special Operations. And Sarah Zhang, Dr. Elise Chen's careful alias had vanished completely.

They staged the whole thing," he said. "The facility's destruction, the deaths, everything. But why? What were they running from?

The Oracle fragment's pulsing changed slightly, its rhythm becoming more erratic. Maxon's lenses detected the shift, automatically recording the new pattern.

"Lilith, analyze this new signature. Compare it to the facility's power surge data."

"Processing... Match found. The frequency patterns are identical."

Maxon stood, his decision made. "They didn't destroy the facility, they transformed it. The earthquakes weren't covering up a shutdown; they were masking a metamorphosis." He began gathering his essential gear, mind already plotting routes to Nepal. "The question is: into what?"

"Warning," Lilith interrupted. "Detection algorithms indicate increased surveillance activity in the local grid. Someone is searching for recent data access patterns matching our queries."

"Time frame?"

"Search originated forty-three seconds ago. Source: Pacific Collective secure channels."

They were getting close. Too close. Either his investigation had triggered automated alerts, or someone else was following the same trail.

Initiate full spectrum data scrub," Maxon commanded. Route everything through the quantum mesh network. And Lilith... prepare the ghost protocols. We're going to need every trick we have to reach those mountains undetected.

As his systems began the careful process of erasing their digital footprints, Maxon studied the facility's schematics one last time. Somewhere in those mountains, Dr. Chen, under her alias of Sarah Zhang, had left more than just breadcrumbs, she'd left answers. And possibly another fragment of Oracle.

But first, he needed to disappear. The Pacific Collective was watching, and he couldn't afford to let them reach Nepal first.

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